Camber and caster gauge



Sept. 25, 1951 LE ROY V. JACOBSEN CAMBER AND CASTER GAUGE Filed Nov. 29, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. L K J46065f/V ATTOHNEY P 25, 1951 LE ROY v. JACOBSEN 2,569,416

CAMBER AND CASTER GAUGE Filed Nov. 29, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet z INVENTOR. L M #160855 ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 25, 1951 CAMBER AND CASTER GAUGE :Le Roy -V. Jacobsen, Durant, Iowa, assignor to ,Bee-Line-Company, Davenport, Iowa, a copart- ApplicationNovember 29, 1948, Serial No. 62,436

. My present invention relates to agaugeparticularly adapted to the determination -.of .camberand casterof the dirig'ible'wheels of atmotor :vehiclaand it is especially useful connection with vehicles in which the upper half of the wheel is-coveredlby the vehicle fenderso that .it

is impractical to get at the wheeLfor'the checking thereof with the checking devices heretofore used for this purpose. It-.wi1l therefore be'understood that the primary purposes :of myinventionare to provide a wheel-checking gauge which is usable in -a practical :manner with :the .most upto-date construction of cars; to provide an apparatus which can be usedon the .lower half of a wheel for the checking of camber and caster,

whether the :upper half .of the wheel be exposed or -covered by the fender of .the vehicle; and such further objects, advantages, and capabilities as will hereafter appear :and as are inherent in the construction disclosedherein. Myinventionfurther resides in the combination, construction, and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings and, while I have shown therein the preferred embodiment of this invention', and certain modifications thereof, I- desire the same to be understood'as illustrative only and not to be interpreted in a'lim'iting sense.

In the drawings annexed hereto and forming a part hereof,

Fig. 1 is .an elevation of the structure which is now regarded as the preferred Eembodimentof this invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the structure with certain parts in section;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of a modification of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 h

Fig. 4 illustratesanother modification of this apparatus; and

Fig. .5 represents an elevation of a still further modification of the preferred construction.

Reference will now be made in greater detail to the annexed drawings for a more complete description of this invention. The structure of Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a pair of arms In and II which are pivotally connected by the pivot l2 provided with a reduced stem l3 having a shoulder I4 which fits against one face of body member l5 of the gauge. The pivot l2 is secured to the body member l5 by a screw Hi surrounded by a washer l1, between the body member iii-and the head of the screw [6. When thescrew is tightened up, the shoulder I4 isdrawn tightly against the face of the body member I5; and these parts are held against turning. The outer half of the pivot member :I2 is somewhat smaller than the 4 Claims. (Cl. 33203.18)

.extremediameterthereof to furnish a shoulder against which one face of the base ofoneof "the pivoted arms may be held, as shown in Fig. 2. .Eachof these bases I8 and I9 is provided with a socket, ,in one of which isa spring 20 which holds the arms under tension and assists in holding them in place. p

An adjusting member 2| is oppositely threaded at its two ends .and cooperates with oppositely threaded nuts 22 and 23 pivotally mounted in arms 10 and it. When the screw-threaded member 2I isturned, the arms I0 and Hare drawn toward each other or forced apartso that the bearing surfaces 24 are adjusted to fit against the outer face of a wheel rim at opposite .sidesof the axle of the wheel. Another point 25 furnishes a bearing surface for thepivot l2 on the wheel rim at a .point remotev fron'ithe bearing surfaces 24. Y

.A supporting member 26 carries the nut 22, rigidly but adjustably held therein, which is rotatably carried the double ended screw 2], on which is rigidly mounted a 'guidemember or roller 28. This roller, Z8yis designed to ride in a channel 29' in the back of the body-member I5.

The guide member or wheel '28, riding in the groove or channel 23,. prevents the screwthreaded member 2| from moving laterally with relation to the body member 15. A channel 29 is cut in the back of upright l5 and cooperates with roller 28 to keep thepartsZl, I0, and from moving sideways. .aconsequenceof this arrangement, the arms' l0.;-'and I I may be spread outwardly or drawntowardeach other byturm ing the screw. Therefore, the bearing members Hand 25 may bemade to fit against ashoulder of the wheel rim of different sized wheels. With the bearing member 25 fitting against the shoulder of the rim, at the bottom of the wheel,

the bearing members 24 .will, bear against the shoulder on opposite sides ofj the axis' of.th 'e wheel, or a little above or below thegsamax :Therefore, since the fender covers only the upper half: of the Wheel. it is possible to have in sight at all times that part of the wheel on which checking cation Serial No. 57,152, filed October 29, 1948, now Patent No. 2,554,621, issued May 29, 1951.

The primary difierence between the structure of Fig. 3 and that of Fig. 1 is that in Fig. 3 the arms 10a and 1 la extend beyond the pivot member 12 and, instead of the nuts 22 and 23 being used in connecting the long ends above the pivot 12, they are used in connecting 'the short ends below the pivot. As a result of turning the screw 2!, the relative positions of the body member Ib and the arms I00. and Ila are changed, but the change is substantially the same as what takes place with the previously described construction.

The structure of Fig. 4 works in a manner similar to that explained in connection with Figs. 1 and 3, but the difference is that the posts 36 and 3'? are arranged to slide longitudinally of the graduated bar 38, instead of being connected pivotally as in the case of Figs. 1 and 3. A body member 150 is secured to the bar 38 and serves 1 substantially the same purpose as the body member 15 in the previously described construction. The screw l6 of Figs. 1 and 2 is replaced by a screw 5a which cooperates in holding a bearing point 25, as in the case of the previously described construction. The sleeves 39, by which the posts 36 and 31 are carried, are held in adjusted position on the bar 38 by set screws 40, as is clear from Fig. 4.

In the structure of Fig. 5, the sleeves 39a carry the bearing members 24, and these sleeves are held in adjusted position by the set screws 41. V A body member l5d depends from the bar 38 and by the appended claims.

Having now described my invention, I claim: 1. A camber gauge for dirigible wheels of a vehicle comprising a pair of arms and a bracket pivotally interconnected for movement about a common axis, wheel-contacting means for contacting the side of a wheel positioned at said axis and on each of said arms at a point remote from said axis, equalizing means for maintaining said bracket in a position bisecting the angle between said arms, a first level connected with said bracket for movement with respect to said bracket about a pivot perpendicular to said pivotal con- 4 said bracket, and a second level for indicating whether said pivot of said first level is horizontal.

2. A camber gauge for dirigible wheels of a vehicle comprising a pair of arms and a bracket pivotally interconnected for movement about a common axis, wheel-contacting means for contacting the side of a wheel positioned at said axis and on each of said arms at a point remote from said axis, equalizing means for maintaining said bracket in a position bisecting the angle between said arms, an indicator pivotally connnected to nection of said arms, means for indicating the angular adjustment of said level with respect to said bracket on a pivot perpendicular to the plane in which the indicator and the axis are located, said indicator including a level perpendicular to said pivot and a member carried by and in screwthreaded adjustment with said indicator for bearing against said bracket to indicate the angular position of said indicator about its pivot, and a second level for indicating whether said bracket is vertical.

3. A camber gauge as defined in claim 2 in which said equalizing means comprises a screw having its ends oppositely threaded and in screwthreaded engagement with said arms, and connecting means connecting a mid-portion of said screw and the bracket to maintain said bracket in a vertical plane.

4. A camber gauge comprising a bracket having a pair of pivots each perpendicular to a common line connecting the axes of said pivots, a pair of wheel-engaging arms independently pivoted upon one of said pivots, a level for indicating horizontality of the other of said pivots, a block pivoted to said other pivot, a level carried by said block, said last-named level indicating if the length of said block is horizontal, and equalizing means controlling the relative pivotal adjustment of said arms and said bracket to maintain the pivot of said block perpendicular to a plane bisecting the angle between said arms.

LE ROY V. JACO-BSEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,980,487 Klauder Nov. 13, 1934 2,137,485 Greenleaf et a1 Nov. 22, 1938 2,401,321 Schwend June 4, 1946 2,402,041 Greenleaf et a1 June 11, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 11,134 Great Britain 1888 

